How I Pack for a 5D4N Trip

Travelling is pretty much everyone’s desire.  Hands down on that!  

Some people travel to have fun, some travel to take a break from their daily schedules, and some travel for work.  Whatever your reason is, travelling allows you to open up your eyes and mind to more possibilities as well as realities.  You get to learn new things and discover new knowledge.

For me, I mostly travel to take a good break from my day-to-day routine. I also travel to go home all the way to my hometown at the Borneo part of Malaysia, since I’m working at the Peninsular part of the country.

Whenever possible, I prefer to pack light but I also want to be sufficiently equipped with the essential things that I need when I’m away.  So, over the years, I learned to manage and adjust my packing style according to my personal needs.  

Here, I will share with you a glimpse of what (and how) I pack for my 5-day-4-night overseas trip.  If you find it to be useful for yourself, feel free to imitate and make your next travel more enjoyable and comfortable.

The trick to save up space for clothes is to roll them instead of fully folding them.


Put aside what you wish to wear to the airport.  Keep is simple and comfortable.


Don’t forget the items you need to use everyday. Your hotel or homestay might provide some of the items but it’s always recommended to bring your own travel packs.


Decide and delegate on what you need to bring in your smaller bag that you will carry with you all the time.


And there you go!

If you have a useful guide or tips of your own, please share it too!

Escaping.....For Real!

A couple of weekends ago, my friends and I took some time off our hectic life and went for a quick getaway. We planned for this trip right after we went back from South Korea earlier this year. The destination was almost out of the blue and we thought that we should just give it a go.


So, our destination was the state of Penang, locally known as Pulau Pinang (Penang Island).


Upon our arrival at Georgetown, Penang from the airport, we went straight to our guesthouse called The 80's Guesthouse. The bus driver was thoughtful enough to stop the bus right in front of the lane where our guesthouse was located and he even briefly yet clearly explained that we needed to simply walk along the lane until we found our place. And that was exactly what we did. After checking in, we rested a bit and walked around the areas nearby. At one point, we thought about renting bicycles to cycle around freely (and safely) but since we were looking for specific locations, walking seemed to be more fitting. In the evening, we went to one of the cafes near our guesthouse to enjoy some late night desserts and drinks.


The next day, we kicked off the morning by having a breakfast at our guesthouse's common area and then made our way to a bus stop nearby. We hopped onto bus #101 to Teluk Bahang. When we reached Escape Adventure Theme Park, we were amazed and excited at what the park has to offer. Okay, I can't speak for all of us, but at least I know that I was amazed and excited.


I'm telling you, every activity that we did at the park symbolised how living life is. I'm not even kidding. You'll see how as you read further. So, to me, I intuitively summed up our whole adventure on that day as a representation of life. Or am I the only one who sees it that way? Hmm...


The first activity that we did was pretty easy (relatively). Oh, I have a piece of advice - always warm up properly before doing anything physical even if it's just for fun, especially when what you're about to do actively involves your limbs or abdomen. We gradually became more determined and daring as we tried out more activities despite the heat and eventual exhaustion.


Below are my explanations on how the things that we did that day represented life.




When we're at the bottom, just about to start our climb, we take a glance at what's up there and admire the idea of being at the top. At the same time, we ponder and strategise how we will go through everything that's on our way up. Those things can either be obstacles that make it harder and slower for us to go up, or stepping stones that we can use to give ourselves a push upward. While climbing up, we try to juggle between being time-efficient and not letting go unnecessarily even when we're tired.






When we're at the top, or on our way there, it's a good idea to let loose and take a leap of faith. In other words, just jump! What's scary about this is when you're at the top, just looking way, way down can send chills down your spine. Have you ever thought of this, at one of the high points of your life - "Why should I allow myself to go all the way down after coming such a long way up?" I'll tell you why. It's to keep you grounded. Don't get too caught up by the high's of life that you end up forgetting your roots.






In order to enjoy the thrilling part of life, we normally need to work hard for it. We usually need to go through hills of learning experiences. This can exhaust us as time goes by but whether we realise it or not, it also strengthens us. Once we've earned our fun time, we better make sure that we enjoy it after all.






As we journey through life, there will be stages when what we do, or about to do, is especially important and we definitely don't want to mess it up. However, those particular stages of our life can intensify into something so nerve-wracking that we start to question "Should I go on or back off?" Even when we're well equipped with all that we need, the path that we see in front of us might seem surreal. All that's left for us to do is to go forward but our doubts often keep us frozen. Once we've gathered the courage to move forward, we can instantly enjoy the journey.




After we were done with Escape, we dropped by at Batu Ferringhi beach to try out parasailing. I'm glad that we did!







As we made our way back to our guesthouse, another one of our friends surprised us by showing up at the guesthouse! Most of us were pretty convinced that she wouldn't be able to join us. After washing up and resting, we went out to have a meal and hunt for some of the street arts in Georgetown, Penang. When it got darker, we were still strolling around. It suddenly rained and the rain got heavier. My friends and I momentarily stayed under the roof of one of the shop lots. Then, we decided to bravely (and carefully) run through the rain, from one building block to another, and so on. We eventually reached our guesthouse and washed up. Before heading to bed, we went to another cafe, again, for some desserts and drinks.


We ended our short little vacation the next day, looking forward to seeing each other again soon.




(Photo credits to all who snapped and shared them)

posted from Bloggeroid

posted from Bloggeroid

Our Story - Malaysian Girls, Korean Spring (April-May 2015)

[Video #1] Places We Visited
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[Video #2] Moments We Cherish
View Video, http://s1220.photobucket.com/user/lalatheb2uty/media/Mobile%20Uploads/PhotoGrid_Video_1432043433937_zpslbxnvqpe.mp4.html



In April, I went on a much-anticipated trip to South Korea with 7 friends - Za, JC, Intan, Adik, Yana, Syera, and Maya. Before the trip, JC was the only one I had known for some time and had met a number of times. I met Syera once, with JC and other friends, during a meet-up. Adik and I had been interacting via social media. As for the other 4, the airport was our first ever meeting place.

I had been wanting to step my foot on the land of South Korea for quite some time but back then, I couldn't seem to find the appropriate time and resources.



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-2015.04.24-

Seoul - Myeongdong; Yeoeuido (KBS building); Cheongdamdong (Cube Entertainment; JYP Entertainment)



Upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, after about 7 hours flight, the first thing we searched for was the oh-so-needed WiFi. We managed to connect to the airport's public WiFi and immediately updated our families and friends on our arrival. I was still as excited about being in Korea as I was excited about going to Korea earlier on, but my excitement was rather internal and wasn't outwardly shown much, possibly due to a slight jetlag. Anyhow, I was very happy to be where I was.

Our van-taxi brought us from the airport to our guesthouse, SoNyeo SiDae Hostel (Girls' Generation Hostel), located in Euljiro. The driver called us "말레이시아 소녀시대" (Girls' Generation Malaysia) and we had laid-back chatters along the journey.

After checking in, all of us walked to Myeongdong to get our pre-purchased Korean sim cards. JC and I bought ours so that we had an easy way to communicate with each other in case we needed to. We stopped by at a seafood shop at one of the lanes in Myeongdong street to have a meal.

We then headed to the nearest train station to make our way to Yeoeuido. Before reaching the station, we stopped by at one of the convenience stores to buy T-Money cards (Korea's reloadable public transportation card) for those of us who didn't have any yet. At Yeoeuido, we walked to Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) building to see our luck in catching a glimpse of artistes or celebrities entering and exiting the building for recordings or meetings. At that time, KBS 'Music Bank' was being recorded, so, like several other fans who gathered there, we were hoping to be lucky enough to see any Korean singers with our own eyes. We saw quite a number of back-up dancers and staff members going into and out of the building. As we were goofing around with each other while waiting, an entourage walked towards the entrance from one of the gates. It was girl group EXID. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tKxvkDDzD ] I also caught a glimpse of singer Jinu Sean, gagman Lee Jonghun and gagman Lee Changho (KBS 'Gag Concert - Last Health Boys').

Before going back to our guesthouse, we paid a visit to Cheongdamdong to have a look at a few entertainment agencies' buildings. We saw Cube Entertainment's office building and studio cafe, as well as JYP Entertainment's older and current buildings.

-2015.04.25-

Seoul - Jongnogu (Gwanghwamun); Samcheongdong; Hyeohyeondong (Namsan Tower); Yeonnamdong (Hongdae)



We kickstarted our day by putting on our traditional costumes that we intentionally brought from our home country, Malaysia. Ahead of our trip, we talked about how nice it would be to wear our traditional outfits while visiting Korean palaces, as a simple cultural exchanging gesture. I was wearing my Bidayuh (one of the native races in Sarawak, Borneo part of Malaysia) costume and my friends were wearing different types of Malay garments including baju kurung, baju kebaya, jubah, and so on. We purchased entrance tickets to the palaces in Jongnogu area, along with tour tickets to the Secret Garden. Before our tour to the Secret Garden started, we spent the time walking inside a couple of the palaces' areas. Other visitors noticed our presence and the different garments that we were wearing. Some of them took the chance to take photos of us and with us. Some even talked to us. After our Secret Garden tour, we met JC's Korean friend, who brought us to a Korean eatery shop in Samcheongdong area for lunch. We then headed to Gwanghwamun Square to experience more of Korean culture. My friends and I wore Korean royalty costumes, which were provided for free, and snapped a few photos.

In the evening, we made our way to Hyeohyeondong to get to Namsan Tower. We took the cable car to get close to the top of the hill. We had a look at NSeoul Tower and the famous clutters of love locks up-close. At night, the view of Seoul city from Namsan Tower's viewing platform was mesmerising. It almost felt like my heart stopped beating for a quick second when I was looking down at the city's sight.

After Namsan Tower, we headed to Hongdae in Yeonnamdong to meet up with another one of JC's Korean friends. She brought us to one of the cafes at Hongdae Street for some drinks. It was already night time but of course, I ordered caffeine-filled mocha with cream. After having a chat and finishing our drinks, we strolled along Hongdae Street to see a few performances. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tSy0YDDzV ] We were so caught up in the exciting and energetic dance performances that we almost lost track of time. The 8 of us rushed to the train station to head back to our guesthouse. Since the train we were on was among the last trains, it stopped a few stations away from our intended station. So, we continued our journey back to our guesthouse in Euljiro by foot.

-2015.04.26-

Chuncheon - Gangwondo; Namiseom | Seoul - Dongdaemun



The next day, we took a relatively long train ride towards Chuncheon. We got out at Gimyujeong Station, Gangwondo to get to the rail-bike place. For about an hour, we dilly-dallied at that place and ate some seaweed rice balls and sandwiches that were prepared by our 언니s earlier on. We then made our way to Gapyeong Station by train to go to our next destination - Nami Island. At Gapyeong Station, we took the bus to Nami Island entrance. Once we got our tickets, we hopped onto the ferry to Nami Island. Nami Island has panoramic sights and a relaxing atmosphere, fitting for families, couples, and friends. Before getting off the island, we grabbed some coffee or smoothies upon my request. Thanks for understanding my coffee-addict needs, girls! We then got off Nami Island by ferry and took the bus back to Gapyeong Station to get back to Seoul city.

By the way, Mr. Jo, if you can see this, please identify yourself and report to any of my friends or me. Thank you. [ Related - http://pspage2nd.blogspot.com/2015/05/blog-post.html ]

We paid a visit to Dongdaemun area to have a look at the things being sold there and to have a meal at a grilled fish shop. Some of us bought some things at the shops by the streets and the underground shops.

Once reaching our guesthouse, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I decided to buy some drinks and ice-cream at the 7-Eleven convenience store across the road. We ended up sitting outside of the store, having our drinks and ice-cream there for about an hour or so before calling it a day.

-2015.04.27-

Yongin - Gyeonggido (Everland)



Everland was our main destination for this day. We traveled by trains, subway and upper rail, to Gyeonggido. We then took a bus shuttle to Everland Theme Park. At the sight of the theme park's entrance gates, we felt like the fun-loving little kids inside of us came out bit by bit. Well, at least for me, it felt that way. There were many photo-worthy spots at Everland Theme Park, inside and outside. After entering the theme park, we munched some food that we prepared beforehand at one of the resting spots inside the theme park. One of the interesting things about Korea's theme park is that although there are cafes, restaurants, and stalls inside the theme park, visitors are also encouraged to pack up their own food and eat at the designated tables or spots prepared by the theme park. After eating, we made our way to the animals area. The animals were so adorable. I remember how the penguins kept on diving into the water and swam towards visitors' direction as if asking us "What's up?". We watched a couple of shows - sea lions' show and various animals' treasure island show. After the shows, our group separated into 2 - one group went to Zootopia to see more animals up-close, another group went to the rides' area to try out a few rides. I was with the group that tried out rides. We queued to ride on one of the roller-coasters. Our next ride was also a roller-coaster ride but this one was a longer, higher, more sought after, wooden-based roller-coaster called T-Express. Queueing took about 2 hours. Once we got on the ride, we felt both nervous and excited. Indeed, the ride was quick and exhilarating. I'm so glad we stayed patient and queued along. We then met up with the others and went back to the train station by shuttle bus.

Before heading back to our guesthouse in Euljiro, we stopped by at Myeongdae to have a delicious, satisfying meal. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tSy0YDDzV ] Again, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I closed up our eventful day by hanging out outside of the 7-Eleven convenience store near our guesthouse.

-2015.04.28-

Seoul - Gwangjang Market | Jeonju - Jeonju Hanok Village



On this day, we got ready to leave Seoul and travel to Jeonju. Before catching our train ride to Jeonju, we had a quick stroll and stopped by at Gwangjang Market. The market was filled with shops and stalls selling food, snacks, accessories, and clothes. My friends got particularly attracted to the silk/cotton pieces of clothes sold there and bought quite a number of them.

When it was time, we went back to Euljiro to catch taxis to Yongsan Station. At Yongsan Station, we took the train to Jeonju. Upon reaching beautiful and calming Jeonju, it was drizzling and we took taxis to our next stay, Jeonju Hanok Village. The daughter of our hanok guesthouse's owner greeted us at our drop-off point and led us to the guesthouse. Inside Jeonju Hanok Village, I was delighted by aesthetic beauty of every traditional structure and decoration that could be seen. Our hanok room was the biggest one in the particular guesthouse that we were in. It had a second-floor indoor verandah that could fit 4 of us. It became the beds area for Adik, Syera, Maya, and me. To our surprise, our guesthouse owner generously prepared bibimbap for the 8 of us. After enjoying our bibimbap, we took a stroll inside the hanok village area. At the end of the day, we stopped by at a cafe nearby to chat and have some coffee and teas.

-2015.04.29-

Jeonju - Nambu Market; Pyeonghwa Middle School



The next day, we had an appointment with Kim언니, a teacher at Pyeonghwa Middle School. Before our appointment, we had a wholesome breakfast, prepared by our guesthouse owner, and went on a morning walk at Nambu Market and the areas nearby. The 8 of us were wearing our Malaysian traditional costumes, as pre-decided. I, again, was wearing my Bidayuh outfit. The locals who were there noticed us and greeted us by smiling and saying "안녕하세요!" (Hello!), "예쁘다.." (How pretty..), "좋다.." (Nice..). We greeted them back along the way. Some locals even greeted us in English and Malay (and Thai Language, "Sawadeekap.."). When it was time, we made our way to Pyeonghwa Middle School by taxis. Kim언니 greeted us and brought us for a little tour around the school. Her students called out "Hello!", "Hi!", "How are you?", and so on when they saw us. One student even wittily greeted us in Indian Language, "Namaste..". Snacks were prepared for us. Kim언니 and one of her students were curious about my friends who were wearing hijab and wondered how it would feel like. We let them experienced how it felt like by using my scarf and Syera's shawl. Before we left the school, Kim언니 and her colleague, Mr. Song, taught us to make Hanji Mirror (Paper Mirror). We then taught them how to play congkak, one of Malaysian traditional games. We even gave Kim언니 a congkak as a gift.

Kim언니 and Mr. Song brought us to a bibimbap buffet restaurant for dinner. Mr. Song's friend, Mr. Lee, joined us for dinner. After indulging in bibimbap, we were sent back and had some desserts, patbingsu (shaved ice red bean) at a cafe inside Jeonju Hanok Village.

-2015.04.30-

Busan - Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Street; Jagalchi Market



After breakfast, we left Jeonju and headed to Busan by bus. While on the bus ride, I was indirectly introduced to a can of coffee, which turned out to be very tasty to my liking. When we reached Busan, we brought our bags and took taxis to our guesthouse in Busan, Popcorn Hostel (Busan Station branch). Our guesthouse's manager has a pet dog named Penny. I was excited to see Penny and played with her while my friends settled down inside our dormitory-style room. (Now I miss Penny. ㅠㅠ)

We walked around the nearby areas up to Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Street. A lot of stalls were selling food, clothes, and accessories. We took the train and continued to walk to Jagalchi Market. We were amazed at the variety of fresh seafood creatures on display for sale. After having a good look at different stalls, we decided to pick some seafood to buy and eat as our dinner at the eating area of the market. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2uyGtlDD4E ]

Before calling it a day, Maya and I asked Adik and Syera if they would like to get some milk or coffee drinks from one of the convenience stores at the area. They agreed and the 4 of us walked along the streets and found a convenience store. We bought what we wanted (Mine were cans of coffee that I discovered on the Jeonju-Busan bus and loved ever since, a chocolate, and a red bean fish-shaped bun ice cream.) and indulged in those snacks at our guesthouse's rooftop.

-2015.05.01-

Busan - Haeundae Beach; Busan Tower



The next day, JC wasn't feeling well, so she rested in the room for a while. The rest of us headed to Haeundae by train to get to the beach area. When we reached the beach area, I couldn't help but smile at how beautiful and tranquilising the scenery was. We snapped some scenic photos and strolled around the area. Our growling stomachs led us to a shop, where we enjoyed some delicious delicacies, including fish dishes and Korean pancake.

As we changed line at one of the train stations, we stopped a while to rest and searched for potential tourist spots to visit while we were there. We decided to just walk along to see the area and at one point, we saw a tower - Busan Tower. We wasn't sure exactly how to get to the tower area but we kept walking while checkin out the tower from a distance. Eventually, we reached the base of the hill where the tower is located. We walked up the hill to have a closer look at Busan Tower.

On our way back to our guesthouse, we came across a mall centre as well as an underground shopping centre. Apa lagi.. We stopped by at some shops and bought some things, especially those on sale.

-2015.05.02-

Busan - Taejongdae; Nampodong



Before noon, we queued at the bus stop to get on the hop-on-hop-off Busan City Tour Bus to Taejongdae. While on the bus, we got to see refreshing Busan City. Some of us were not fully awake yet and slept through the bus ride. When we reached Taejongdae, half of us went in and the other zombie-feeling half went to a coffee shop to have some drinks and eat some pastry. I was with the zombie-feeling half. I absolutely love the coffee in South Korea.

We hopped on the bus again to go back. At one of the stops, we walked along and separated into 2 groups - one group of 5 made their way to colourful Gamcheon Village, and the other group of 3 went to Nampodong Street, initially for a casual stroll and window shopping, but ended up buying a bunch of items on sale. Yes, I was with the group of 3. I'm telling you, we simply had to go ahead and shop there. You would too, I believe. On our way back from Nampodong, we stopped by at an Indian Cuisine shop to have a meal.

In the evening, Za언니, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I walked to search for a desserts shop. We ended up entering a coffee shop to enjoy some patbingsu (shaved ice red bean). When we were back at our guesthouse, we cooked some Maggi instant noodles that we brought from Malaysia and (very much) enjoyed the hot noodles at the chilly rooftop of our guesthouse.

-2015.05.03-

Busan



It was our last day in Busan (and in South Korea), so I was feeling a little solemn. I'm pretty sure my friends felt the same too. Guess what? Busan weather felt the same too as it was raining in the morning. We had several hours left before the taxis picked us up from our guesthouse, so took the train and had a walk to the area nearby. Some of us bought a few more items. At the guesthouse, we snapped some goodbye photos among ourselves and with one of the managers of the guesthouse. A few of us left some post-it messages at the guesthouse.

The taxis arrived and brought us to Gimhae International Airport. We bid goodbye and promised ourselves to visit again sooner or later.

Yes, we must visit again!
다음에 또 만나요!

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Little Chatters & Gestures

About a week ago, I made my way to South Korea with 7 of my friends. I had been anticipating the trip for quite some time. Now I can say for sure that I loved it!

This post isn't going to be about that wonderful trip, though. I'm saving that for another post (soon, hopefully).
In this post, I'll be mentioning about some of the little occurrences, involving chatters and gestures from the people I bumped into, as I'm intending to re-live those simple yet precious moments.

KL-to-Seoul Flight
As our plane took off and we were on our way to Seoul, South Korea, the flight attendants were distributing immigration declaration forms to non-Korean passengers to enable us to fill them up while on the flight. A flight attendant was approaching my row and she momentarily stopped distributing the forms as she asked me, "Are you Korean?" just to be sure because only non-Koreans needed the forms. I just smiled like a sheep and replied "No.". I then had a quick look at myself to figure out what made her think that I might be Korean. I answered myself, "Must be my charm spirit..". I was slightly flattered but also puzzled.

Inside the Van from Incheon International Airport, Seoul
The van driver who drove us to our hostel in Seoul was friendly and chatty. Since there were 8 of us girls and we were heading to Girls' Generation Hostel in Euljiro, he called us 말레이시아 소녀시대 (Girls' Generation Malaysia). When he said that out, we went haywire inside the van. Sye proclaimed that she was Yoona, the others took a moment to think who they represented in SNSD (Girls' Generation), someone claimed that Za언니 was Yuri, and someone else blurted out that I was the one who was (is) dating EXO-K's Baekhyun, referring to Taeyeon. While they were at it, my mind was still lingering on the coincidental fact that we indeed seemed like our own version of SNSD and that we were going to stay at Girls' Generation Hostel while in Seoul.

Malaysian Attires at Korean Palaces
We made our way to Gwanghwamun area to visit some of the palaces and the Secret Garden there. All 8 of us wore our traditional attires. I was wearing my traditional Bidayuh costume. It was quite a mesmerising experience as we learned about Korean historical culture and at the same time, we somehow promoted Malaysia by what we were wearing. Like many tourists do, we snapped photos here and there. Other visitors stopped and took photos of us as well, indubitably because of the variety of attires that we were wearing.

♥Army Guy♥ at Gapyeong Station, Gyeonggi-do
From the moment we touched down, my dear friend Sye had been mumbling about how nice it would be if we could meet some Korean army guys (either actual army members or those in 2-year military service, whichever). Deep down, I couldn't agree more. They just generally seem so....cunning, you know. So, after our journey back from Nami Island, we proceeded to commute by train from Gapyeong Station. As we exited the bus and walked towards the train station, there was a cute guy in his army uniform walking in the opposite direction. Some of us (including me) started to feel flustered for no clear reason, so J언니 boldly called out the cute guy and asked if it was okay to take some photos together. He said yes and I was like ♥o♥. Sye and Ya were getting ready next to him. My feet had their own mind and childishly ran next to him too (Thank you for doing that, childish feet!). 2 of our 언니's were ready to snap a few photos. Before that, I asked that cute guy "How old are you?" out of curiosity and after J언니 suggested me to ask. He adorably replied "Twenty-three" in what sounded like perfectly fluent English to me. I responded (in Korean, I don't know why), "아...누나이에요." (Ah...I'm a nuna.), which is true because I'm about 3 years older than him. Once we were done taking photos, we thanked him and bid farewell. I regretted not asking for his SNS ID's if he has any. Inside the train on our way back, Sye looked at the photos we took and 'complained' at how close I was with him in the photos. I didn't notice and didn't mean to be that close, okay. But I'm secretly glad that we were quite close, actually. I just stood there and posed naturally. Sye couldn't get over it at that time and cropped one of the photos, focusing on just the cute guy and me. After she saved the cropped photo, she found out that the original photo was overwrittened. It was a devastating yet funny moment. I couldn't contain my laughter, so I laughed inside the train till my feet couldn't stand any longer and I squatted down till I calmed down. Oh man, it was really funny!

Coffee Love at First Sight
To commute from Jeonju to Busan, the 8 of us took the bus. When we reached Jeonju Bus Station, we bought our tickets and roamed around the station while waiting for our bus to arrive. Some of us noticed that there was an army guy in the same station and later on, we found out that he was going to get on the same bus as we were. After loading our bags inside the bus' luggage compartment, we entered the bus and went to our pre-designated seats. To my surprise, the seat next to me belonged to the army guy, with the aisle in between us. I noticed that he was drinking a yellow can of coffee. I didn't get the name of the coffee at that time but later on, I figured out that it was Georgia Max coffee. I whispered to May, who sat next to me, telling her about the coffee that the guy was drinking. She blatantly replied to me, "Minum kopi, tidur jugak." (Even after drinking coffee, he still sleeps.), which was quite a witty comment, I must say. True enough, he was taking naps throughout the journey but he was probably just casually resting. When we reached Busan, we checked in at our hostel and walked around the area. 솔B언니 and I stopped by at a convenience store to buy some coffee as our energy booster. I found myself searching for the same coffee that I saw on the bus earlier on. Something inside me kept telling me to give it a try. I gleefully found that particular can of coffee based on the colours and design of the can since I didn't know the name of the coffee at that time. So, I bought it and had a drink. I loved it! I let Sye have a sip and she loved it too! Ever since, I had been buying the coffee on daily basis while in Korea. (Now I really miss it. ㅠㅠ)

★Army Guy★ at Haeundae, Busan
We took the subway train and exited at Haeundae Station to pay a visit to the beach. It was pretty bright and sunny that morning. As we walked the streets and crossed the roads towards Haeundae Beach, a young guy in his army uniform (again?!) caught my eyes. It was quite a normal thing to see over there but this particular guy caught my attention because it seemed that he was roaming around the area with a friend, searching for a specific place. Before I noticed that he and his friend were searching for something, we happened to cross the same road. Our first interaction was when I looked to my left to see if there was any incoming vehicle, as I noticed a glance of an individual looking towards my direction. I slowly tilted my head up since I was looking downward because of the sunlight and in an instance, I caught the eyes of the army guy. I still can't figure out why but my eyes were fixed on him for a few seconds and he was looking back before I finally looked away and kept walking with my friends. I honestly don't understand why I stared longer than normal. I just did. Now that I think of it, it sounds like a short scene from one of the dramas on TV. After enjoying our time at Haeundae Beach and the area nearby, my friends and I had our lunch and headed back to the station to go back to our hostel. On our way, we came across the same army guy and his friend, walking from our opposite direction. I told my friends that it was the exact same guy and we tried our best to remain calm and cool as our paths crossed. I didn't turn my head to look at him (which was hard for me) but according to one of my friends, he looked towards our direction as we were walking. So, he must have remembered me us.

KL-to-Kuching Flight
The next morning after arriving in KL, Malaysia from Busan, South Korea, I took a flight to go back to my hometown for a while. After finishing my meal, the flight attendant was collecting garbage to be thrown away. I handed over my finished meal and he took it while saying "감사합니다~" (Thank you~). I simply exchanged smiles with him and replied "네.." (Yes..). His Korean pronounciation was pretty good, I could tell. At that time, I was wearing my red Korea T-shirt, which most likely gave away the clue that I just came back from Korea or that I might be Korean, in any way.


All in all, I found that the little chatters and gestures really matter in order to make up meaningful and memorable experiences.

여러분, 고맙다고 사랑한다!

posted from Bloggeroid

Japan 2013 - 「マレーシアから 来ました。」

(A formal version of the reporting account, without accompanying pictures, can be found here.)

On December 1st, 2013, we departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Tokyo, Japan.

I remember how excited we were when the plane landed and we could see "Tokyo International Airport" neon signage through the plane's window.  Really.  You can ask Pey Ning who sat beside me in the plane.  ^^  Upon our arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, we were greeted by Maru san, Yanagihara san, and Miss Irma.

Yup, J-pop sensational group, Arashi, greeted us at the airport!  ^^

A bus was ready to bring us from Tokyo to Chiba.  It was about 7°C in Tokyo.  I must say, I kind of like cold winter weather.  No...  I love it!  By the time we arrived at Reitaku University in Minami-Kashiwa, Chiba, it was already around 1:00AM.  We stayed overnight at an in-campus hotel at Reitaku University.

Thank you to the bus driver and Reitaku University staff members for being willing to pick us up from the airport in the middle of the night. 

 Because of our anticipation and the hours of traveling, we were pretty much tired by the time we reached Reitaku University.

My rommate for the overnight hotel stay was Swee Kheng.  Ah Ching~! 

I wanted to watch a Japanese game show which was on TV but ended up sleeping instead.  疲れちゃった!

After waking up and cleaning up, we had a wholesome Japanese breakfast at the hotel's cafe.  

すてきだ ね..?  Just outside of the cafe, the autumn-winter colours of the leaves captivated our eyes.

Once we finished our breakfast, students were required to check out of the hotel and moved in to our dormitory nearby.  A briefing was made to familiarise us with Reitaku University and our dormitory.  We were also introduced to four Reitaku University students who were there to guide us.  They were Aki chan, Yoshimi chan, Shizuka chan, and Kosuke kun.  Each of us was given a Suica card, which is a rechargable card used to pay for public transportation fares in Japan.  We were then led to our respective dormitory rooms.  

 From the beginning, we could feel the おもてなし (the spirit of hospitality) from staff members and students.

Each of the doors of our dormitory rooms was beautified with a welcoming sign and a paper flower.

After lunch, Yanagihara san and Imai san brought us to Tokyo Stock Exchange for our financial visit.  An English tour was conducted by a staff of Tokyo Stock Exchange.  We were introduced to what Tokyo Stock Exchange is about and how the stock exchange is operated and managed.  

Visiting Tokyo Stock Exchange was quite nice, considering that my major in university was Finance.

In the evening, there was a welcoming party held by the dormitory residents of Reitaku University.  After the party, a number of Reitaku University students walked with us to a supermarket near the train station.  From that evening onward, I found it quite enjoyable to walk through the chilly Winter breeze with friends (with proper warm clothing, of course).  And so, Kasumi supermarket became our regular spot throughout our stay in Minami-Kashiwa. 

We had a good time at the welcoming party with Reitaku University students.

On the next day, we kicked off our technology visit by going to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tsukuba with Professor Akune and Maru san.  At JAXA, a tour guide briefed us on the functions of JAXA.  We were also brought to the space dome of JAXA, where we could see models of rockets, satellites, and the space.  

I even took a photo with a life-size standee of a Japanese astronaut.

After JAXA, our next destination was Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), not far from JAXA.  We roamed around an exhibition area.  Then, the tour at AIST began with a video presentation on advanced science and technology in Japan.  A tour guide  brought us to the exhibition area to show and explain about some of the technological and robotic items on display.

Our technology visit resumed on the following day as we made our way to Kashiwa to visit Chiba University's plant factory.  Professor Emeritus Kozai Toyoki, the Chief Director of Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA), presented to us the mission, roles, concepts, and challenges of the Center for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences of Chiba University.  We were also brought to tour around the in-campus plant factory.  

The cooling winter breeze was definitely one of the things I particularly enjoyed during the whole trip.

Our next destination was Smart City Museum of Kashiwa-no-ha.  The concept of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City merges the ideas of city of health and longevity, city of new industry creation, and environmental symbiotic city.  It was refreshing to see such innovative ideas that could be integrated into a whole city that caters not only its residents but also the environment.  

In the evening, we gathered at a conference room for a courtesy visit by the President of Reitaku University, Prof. Dr. Nakayama.  Then, we made our way to a reception party with the faculty members.  Reitaku University students who previously visited UNIMAS were given the opportunity to deliver short speeches.  After that, it was our turn to say a few words as UNIMAS students who were visiting Reitaku University.

The last component of our Japan tour was management visit.  For this particular visit, the aim was to expose us to how the urban management of Tokyo city is properly carried out.  First, we visited Ariake Incineration Plant to learn about the management of sewage disposal.  The concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) is heavily applied and promoted in Japan.  

We also visited Shibaura Water Reclamation Center.  Through video presentation and staff's demonstrations, we could see that a functional sewerage system plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy water circulation system, which supports day-to-day routines of residents.

This marked the end of our management visit, thus the end of our off-campus Japan tour.

On Friday, we had a campus tour around Reitaku University.  A video of the tour is available here.  We were brought to the library, mini museum, Rose garden, classrooms, and International Lounge (i-Lounge).  Our campus tour ended as we joined in the もちつき (rice cake making) that was carried out in the campus.

The pieces of rice cake with different toppings were so delicious that we shamelessly went for second rounds.

Since we had some spare time before our next agenda, Pei Gee and Mun Yin, fellow Malaysians studying in Japan, brought us to Kashiwa.  We stopped by at a sushi shop to eat.  Then, we walked around the area and bought some stuff to be brought home.

By far, my favourite sushi is ebi nigiri sushi.  おいしい~ 

This is Kashiwa.

Later in the evening, we attended a farewell party. 

Farewell party already?

Our weekend was free from any pre-scheduled visits.  Therefore, we decided that it was time to really become like tourists in Japan~  On Saturday morning, Maru san brought us to Tsukiji Market in Chuo, Tokyo.  We got to experience the atmosphere of a Japanese fresh market and tasted some delicious food.  Somehow, occasionally squeezing through the crowd at the market made the experience feel a little more real, you know?  LOL  

After Tsukiji Market  

In the afternoon, we headed to Asakusa in Taito, Tokyo.  FYI, I had always wanted to go to Asakusa, out of the tourist attractions in Japan.  So, to be able to finally step my foot there was great.  We took a good look at the temple there before checking out some of the shops.  We even had the chance to try out dango, green tea ice cream (Yes, we indulged in cold, tasty ice cream outdoor in winter~), and melon bread.  I also bought a red kimono, just because I wanted to.

I finally breathed the air of Asakusa~~

Before calling it a day, Maru san brought us to an eatery place in Minami-Kashiwa.  It was a zashiki-style restaurant.  Guess what?  I even got to eat a little bit of horse meat.

Having a meal together in a group was nice.

On Sunday, a few Reitaku University students brought us to Harajuku, Tokyo.  Once we arrived, we walked through Yoyogi ko-en and visited Meiji jin-gu.  We also walked along the fashionably congested Takeshita Street and had our lunch at one of the shops there.

A torii at the entrance  

 Lucky us!  We managed to witness part of a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony at Meiji jin-gu.

Are you up for Takeshita Street?

Our next destination was Shibuya, Tokyo.  There happened to be a group of individuals offering "Free Christmas Hugs" not far from the train station.  So, I (along with some others in our group) ran straight to them to get some warm Christmas hugs!  We spent a few hours checking out some of the shops and bought some things too.

As soon as we went out of the train station, we snapped photos with the statue of Hachiko, the loyal and loving dog.

 Being part of the crowd crossing Shibuya's massive streets was kind of fun.  ^^

After we were done with Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku, Tokyo.  Upon our arrival, we spent some time listening to a street performance of a duo and cheering along.  Then, we made our way to Global Unit, a place to shop for clothes with tempting discounts and promotions.  The sky was already dark when we completed our shopping.  We had our dinner before spending a little time to admirably look at the tall and mighty Tokyo Sky Tree.

Tokyo Sky Tree  

We ended our Tokyo tour for the day and went back to Minami-Kashiwa.  The coming day would be our last day in Japan, but I was too tired to be too sad.  I just dozed off after cleaning up once we reached the dormitory.

The next day, it was bittersweet for me.  I'm sure the others felt the same too.  However, the past week had been fun.  So, it was all good.  At noon, we had a promotional event to let more people know about our university and country.  After the event, we had our lunch before continuing to pack our belongings.

I was wearing my traditional costume as part of the promotional event.

Frankly, we could feel the warmth and thoughtfulness of the host throughout the whole week.  Us, UNIMAS students, wanted to do a little more than just saying thank you.  So, we gathered food and drink items that we brought from Malaysia inside a box for the students of Reitaku University who had been helping and guiding us.  We also included messages for them.

It wasn't much but we wanted to leave some food and drinks items that are popular among Malaysian students. 

Some students of Reitaku University gave us gifts.

In the evening, we said goodbye to each other as the bus took us to the airport.

I told myself that I must visit Japan again in the future.